Affected by the cold tide that swept through the United States, Las Vegas was extremely cold and cold this year. As soon as I walked out of the exhibition hall, a strong cold wind fluttered in the face, causing a headache in people's heads. This is definitely the coldest Global Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in my memory of attending the conference for the past ten years.

However, being cool doesn't mean being cool. This year's CES was the hottest in the past few years. According to official data, the number of participants this year has reached 130,000. Although it has not returned to its peak of 180,000 before the pandemic, there has been a significant recovery compared to the past two years.

What is the point of exhibiting at CES?

Although the number of participants this year has not returned to before the pandemic, the number of exhibitors has reached a new high. More than 4,500 companies visited CES this year, an increase of 30% over the more than 3,200 companies last year, and more than the scale of 2020. CES in 2021 went online due to the pandemic. Although it will resume in 2022 and 2023, the scale is still limited.

This year coincides with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Consumer Electronics Association (CTA), the host of CES. Initially, it was still a radio association. Over the past 100 years, technological trends have changed continuously. From radios to integrated circuits, from personal computers to mobile terminals, from the Internet to artificial intelligence, the signs of the consumer electronics era are also constantly being updated.

CES, on the other hand, began in 1967, moved to Las Vegas in 1978, and is regularly held in early January every year. Although the consumer electronics industry also has many vertical exhibitions, none of them can match the scale of a comprehensive CES. This is not only the biggest exhibition of the year in the casino, but also the largest industry exhibition in the world. More than 100,000 participants each year bring in more than 600 million US dollars in direct revenue to the casino.

For a company, what does it mean to travel thousands of miles to the casino to attend CES? Perhaps the three most important benefits are: 1. Exposure to attention. CES is the industry exhibition that the media paid the most attention to and participated in. Compared to companies holding their own press conferences or publishing product news, products released and displayed during CES will receive focused coverage from mainstream media and achieve the best marketing results. This is particularly critical for some SMEs that lack PR resources and channels.

2. Business opportunities for cooperation. CES not only attracted more than 4,000 companies to participate in the exhibition, but also attracted more than 100,000 industry participants from around the world. Attendees came to CES not only to experience the latest consumer electronics products and technology trends, but also to find potential partners. Numerous technical and commercial collaborations can always be made possible during CES every year.

3. Sales system. CES is also the best opportunity for companies to expand sales networks and systems and drive revenue growth. Whether it's reaching sales agreements with major retailers or looking for agents to enter new markets, CES is always the best time for companies to expand their sales scale. As described by CTA, CES is the world's largest “trade-only event” (trade-only event).

Korean companies are booming

If consumer electronics companies want to go overseas and go global, CES is an essential stage. In this regard, Japanese and Korean electronics companies are the best imitators. They also all started by exhibiting at CES and successfully entered the US market, thus successfully building a global brand. Sony first participated in CES in 1977, and Samsung first participated in 1983.

One of the most intuitive impressions of this year's CES is that Korean elements can be seen everywhere. Korean business giants are so powerful that they occupy the most prominent booth at CES. Samsung, LG, SK, Hyundai, Kia, Lotte, Doosan, and the largest booths in each showroom are owned by Korean manufacturers. The Samsung showroom covers an area of nearly 3,400 square meters and is the largest exhibition area at CES. The Venetian Exhibition Hall also has a special Korean comprehensive booth, and the KOREA logo is displayed at the entrance of the exhibition hall.

Briefly introduce Samsung Electronics' experience of going overseas through CES: The Samsung Group set up the electrical appliance business in 1968, set up a US office in 1978, and merged with the semiconductor business in 1988 to establish the Samsung Electronics we are familiar with. Beginning in the 80s, Samsung began participating in CES to sell television products in the US market, but at that time it was still representative of cheap products.

The real rise of Samsung Electronics was in the mid to late 90s. At CES in 1997, Samsung won 10 awards in one fell swoop for new products such as monitors and DVDs. Officially beginning with that period, Samsung began to gradually surpass Japanese companies and become the largest electronics giant in the US and the world. After 2010, Samsung became the world's largest smartphone giant (Apple occasionally climbed to the top).

According to Korean media reports, more than 700 Korean companies visited CES this year, a record high, second only to the US and China. Korean-faced participants were everywhere in every pavilion, and they could hear clear Korean everywhere, and the number of participants even surpassed that of the Chinese.

There's a reason for this. A booth manager of a well-known Chinese company complained to Sina Technology that a large number of Chinese participants did not get US visas and were unable to come to the site. Even when well-known companies like them guarantee that employees apply for business visas, quite a few colleagues have been denied visas. The number of visas denied to ordinary participants is innumerable. South Koreans visiting the US, on the other hand, are visa-free.

For Chinese companies that are actively seeking to go global and expand the global market, CES is undoubtedly also the best platform to go overseas. Before the pandemic, Chinese exhibitors once accounted for more than one-third of CES; even in 2024, China will still be the largest CES exhibitor other than the US. According to official data, more than 1,000 Chinese companies participated in the CES exhibition this year, accounting for nearly a quarter.

Although the number of Chinese companies and participants has not returned to the previous scale due to many reasons, this did not stop the enthusiasm and desire of Chinese companies and participants to return to CES and go overseas.

During the pandemic in the past few years, many Chinese companies were unable to participate in CES due to travel restrictions, and the number of Chinese companies once dropped to less than 400 in 2022. Even Chinese companies that continue to participate in the exhibition are organized by overseas branches on their behalf. This year, Chinese business executives returned to CES, and Chinese business executives such as Yang Yuanqing and Li Dongsheng all came back to Las Vegas after a lapse of four years.

Benchmark for Chinese overseas giants

Compared to the huge popularity of Korean companies, the biggest Chinese manufacturers at CES this year include Lenovo, Hisense, TCL, etc. However, although Lenovo participated in CES, it was not in the showroom. They took a different approach to showcasing their products and negotiating business opportunities in the Venetian showroom and across the bar.

CES is Lenovo's biggest product launch event every year. It includes not only regular updates to the existing product line, but also many conceptual new products such as folding notebooks, dual-screen notebooks, and dual-system notebooks. This year, Lenovo released 40 new hardware products at CES, focusing on the AIPC concept.

After completing the integration of IBM's PC business, Lenovo participated in CES for the first time in 2006. Currently, Lenovo is the world's largest PC manufacturer, third-largest server manufacturer, and ninth-largest smartphone manufacturer. Of Lenovo's annual revenue of over 400 billion yuan, 70% comes from overseas markets, making it the most successful global leading brand in China.

This year coincides with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Lenovo Group. Yang Yuanqing recalled to Sina Technology that every decade is a different stage of development; the actual internationalization began in the third decade. In 2004, Lenovo acquired the IBM PC business and became the fourth largest PC manufacturer in the world. In 2014, the acquisition of the motorcycle and IBM server business promoted business diversification; 2024 marked the beginning of a new phase of AIPC for Lenovo. This is the direction of Lenovo's transformation in the next ten years.

On the topic of going overseas, Yang Yuanqing said that CES is a globally recognized consumer electronics trend vane. More than 1,000 Chinese companies participated in the exhibition this year, which indicates that the internationalization strategy of Chinese companies is becoming more and more clear. He said that after so many years of reform and opening-up, Chinese enterprises have not only exploited their advantages in efficiency, but also fully mobilized their technological innovation advantages. He hoped to see more Chinese companies showcasing their innovations on the CES stage in the future and successfully going overseas through this.

Inside the LVCC pavilion, TCL and Hisense were the two Chinese manufacturers with the largest booths. Both are the first two Chinese companies to start internationalization, and they are also the best-selling Chinese TV manufacturer in the US market. What is invaluable is that the two sides maintain a good relationship between senior management. During this year's booth, senior executives from TCL and Hisense visited each other's booths to show their support.

Li Dongsheng, founder of TCL, recalled that he first participated in CES as a participant in 1990 and led TCL to participate in the exhibition the following year. This year, the TCL booth is already close to 1,700 square meters, making it the largest Chinese company.

Hisense first participated in CES in 2001. Thanks to the cooperation brought by CES, they successfully entered Walmart, the largest retailer in the US, and thus successfully entered the US market. After more than 20 years of hard work, Hisense is already the second-largest TV manufacturer in the US after Samsung in terms of sales volume. Together with TCL, LG, and Vizio, it has become the second largest television group in the US. In order to meet the needs of the North American market, Hisense acquired a television factory in Mexico and created a home appliance factory.

As Hisense's US business product line gradually grew, so did their CES booth. This year, Hisense's CES booth was close to 1,500 square meters, covering many categories such as laser TVs, laser projectors, kitchen appliances, and air conditioners. The 110UX released by Hisense is the world's first 40,000+ zone mini LED TV, with a brightness of 10,000 nits, the highest in the industry.

By sponsoring the World Cup and European Cup, Hisense has further promoted its brand to the global market, and also has the marketing phrase “China first, world second”. Currently, 40% of Hisense's revenue comes from overseas markets. In the US market, TCL sponsored the Major League Soccer NFL, while Hisense sponsored the NBA.

What needs to be explained is that CES is not the main launch stage for mobile phone manufacturers, and Chinese smartphones also almost insulate the US market, so Chinese smartphone manufacturers did not participate in the CES exhibition. However, the new Chinese car companies that have emerged in recent years are mainly going overseas in Europe. They have no plans to enter the US market, and they have not participated in CES to compete with major international manufacturers. However, some Chinese electric vehicles will also appear at the CES booth of the parts provider, and the lidar provider Seyon's booth will display NIO's ET7.

Of course, due to well-known reasons, Chinese companies that once shone at CES, such as Huawei and DJI, did not appear on the CES stage. This is certainly a huge pity. However, they are already the Chinese brand with the most success overseas and business spread all over the world, and they probably don't need the CES stage anymore.

No. 1 in the impact market segment

CES is not only a stage for large Chinese companies such as Lenovo, Hisense, and TCL to go overseas, but it is also a springboard for many small and medium-sized enterprises and even startups to go global. At the LVCC Convention and Exhibition Center, Sina Technology has seen many Chinese smart device manufacturers that have successfully expanded overseas markets through CES, and have even become leaders in the global market segment.

Shaoyin, a sports headphone manufacturer known for its bone conduction technology, began participating in CES in 2012 and continued to participate even during the pandemic. Following the launch of the ear-mounted sports headset OpenFit last year, Shaoyin released a rear-mounted swimming headset at CES this year, further impacting the sports headphone segment. In the field of sports headphones, they have surpassed the established manufacturer Bose and ranked second in the market (Sony ranked first).

Since its first day, Shaoyin has been actively overseas, prioritizing investment in resources to expand overseas markets. More than ten years of hard work overseas have paid off in revenue. According to Yang Yun, CEO of Shaoyin China, overseas revenue currently accounts for 70% of Shaoyin's global revenue. The US is the largest overseas market, while China is the second largest market.

Space-time pot, an intelligent simultaneous transmission equipment manufacturer from Shenzhen, also became the focus at this CES. On the first day of CES, they chose to hold a press conference with LG and many other major international companies at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, which attracted attention and coverage from many international media and demonstrated their ambition to further expand the international market.

The new product released this time is the flagship intelligent simultaneous transmission product X1. It supports more than 40 languages and 90 dialects, translates in 0.2 seconds, and has an accuracy rate of 95%. Furthermore, it is the world's first AI translation device that supports multiple people in multiple languages. It supports simultaneous translation between up to 20 people and 5 languages. One device is equivalent to a simultaneous interpretation team.

Since its inception, Time and Space Pot has been expanding overseas markets. The first product was crowdfunded on the Kickstarter platform, and many products such as translators and translation headsets have already been launched. The X1 released this time is the highest-end product for business people. The price is as high as 699 US dollars, and it is planned to be sold on overseas e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.

Sina Technology saw in the North Exhibition Area of the Las Vegas Convention Center that the space-time pot booth attracted the attention and trial use of many users from different countries and languages. Obviously, smart simultaneous transmission devices are a common requirement for users in all countries of the world. In the smart simultaneous transmission device market, the space-time pot has reached the top position in the market, accounting for 60 to 70% of overseas revenue.

At CES this year, two sweeper manufacturers, Stone Technology and Covos, successively released new products such as mopping robots and mowing robots, further impacting iRobot in the US market. In the global market, Stone Technology and Covos already occupy the top two market shares. It is worth mentioning that Stone Technology also bought the most prominent billboard at Las Vegas Airport. The first thing users saw when they landed to pick up their luggage was Stone Technology's display advertisement.

The Sublue (Sublue) booth from Tianjin attracted the attention of many water sports enthusiasts. Their underwater booster products cover a range of price ranges from $300 for kids to $7,000 for professional editions, and meet all needs from pool play to ocean diving. Deep Blue currently has nearly 90% of its revenue from overseas, with the US being its core market.

The person in charge of the Deep Blue booth explained that the company was founded in 2013 and began transforming into an underwater booster in 2017. Due to differences in the outdoor sports market, Deep Blue regards overseas markets as the core of its business and began participating in CES the following year. Their first product sold out on the Kickstarter platform, and sales began successfully in overseas markets. This year, Deep Blue also expanded its product line and released a pool cleaning robot at CES, targeting the US swimming pool cleaning market.

I also saw Alibaba's booth at the LVCC North Showroom. Because of its iconic orange color and huge Alibaba logo, this booth attracted many attendees to stop by. After taking a closer look, I discovered that this is a platform created by Ali International for small domestic businesses to go overseas, gathering many small domestic merchants, from coffee machines to small accessories.

Citron, an espresso machine manufacturer from Foshan, has a history of producing coffee machines for nearly 30 years, with annual sales exceeding 300 million yuan. The head of the exhibition, Ouyang Yanshan, said that this is their first time attending CES. Through the Alibaba International Platform, they only need to pay tens of thousands of yuan to set up a small booth, saving expensive CES membership and exhibition fees.

Ouyang Yanshan said that although Citron coffee machines are not inferior to international brands in terms of design and functionality, the cost performance ratio is only one-third that of similar international products; however, as a small company, they have no resources to build brands in overseas markets, and are even less able to cover after-sales service networks, so they are more branded products for overseas brands. After their products were branded overseas, the sales price increased two to three times, but the vast majority of profits went to overseas companies.

“This is our first time attending CES, and we hope to find overseas partners.” With an expectant look, Ouyang Yanshan said that she was surrounded by two silver-shining coffee machine prototypes.